The Compton-based rapper calls out slew of artists, has the Hip-Hop World saying ‘Woah’

It was out of nowhere, but I suppose that’s how most news happens in the Hip-Hop world. Simply put: Kendrick Lamar who went Platinum on his major label debut album Good Kid, m.A.A.d City, calls out some of the Hip-Hop world’s finest in his verse on rapper Big Sean’s song ‘Control (HOF)’.Big Sean released the song as a bonus track from his upcoming sophomore album Hall of Fame. It was played by Hot 97’s Funkmaster Flex in New York and has since then had the entire Hip-Hop industry in a frenzy. Due to clearance issues with the sample of the track it did not make Big Sean’s forthcoming album, nevertheless, this song is seven minutes of gritty, hardcore, competitive rhymes from all three rappers involved. Kendrick Lamar literally calls out Big Sean and Jay Electronica on their OWN song…talk about bold right?

He starts off saying, “I’m Makaveli’s offspring, I’m the king of New York,” a statement that urged rapper Joe Budden to respond.

“A Cali n**** just said he’s the King of NY & u n***** so f****** worried about your relationships, y’all make me sick.”

Next, Lamar lists off some rappers mentioned as “the best MC”:

I heard the barbershops spittin’ great debates all the time

Bout who’s the best MC? Kendrick, Jigga and Nas

Eminem, Andre 3000, the rest of y’all.

Kendrick puts himself first on this list of some Hip-Hop greats, which translates to many that he is challenging the best of the best to step it up a notch. This hasn’t been done in quite a while where a rapper has stepped forward and raised the competition level by calling out all of his opponents. That challenge?Collectively and simply saying in more words or less, “I’m better.”

He goes on to say:

I’m usually homeboys with the same n***** I’m rhymin’ wit

But this is Hip-Hop and them n***** should know what time it is

And that goes for Jermaine Cole, Big K.R.I.T, Wale

Pusha T, Meek Mill, A$AP Rocky, Drake

Big Sean, Jay Electronica, Tyler, Mac Miller

I got love for you all but I’m tryna murder you n*****

Tryna make sure your core fans never heard of you n******

They dont wanna hear not one more noun or verb from you n******

What is competition? I’m tryna raise the bar high

Who tryna jump and get it? You better off tryna skydive

Well, first rappers mentioned to respond were Pusha T and Mac Miller, who both tweeted.

Mac Miller: “If I can’t do no more nouns or verbs ima start comin with the wildest adjective bars that anyone has ever heard.”

Kendrick said it how it is. He’s friends with most rappers mentioned in his verse, and to top it all off, he’s done music with some of these Hip-Hop artists as well!

Now, in the Hip-Hop world, recognition via Twitter doesn’t mean very much, so we’ll just have to wait and see who lyrically responds first.

With many more having much to say, Twitter was the platform in which all that had an opinion on this subject used to voice themselves. A lot of people quickly took sides by either saying that the verse was controversial because of the way Kendrick “name dropped” in the song, thus being viewed as a form of disrespect. Then there were others who seemed to be behind the fact that the Compton rapper was in a sense “raising the bar” of Hip-Hop and forcing the rappers that he respects and is friends with to be on the same level as him, or at least try.

Even Hip-Hop guru Russell Simmons chimed in and took to Twitter saying, “This Kendrick Lamar verse on #Control is an instant classic.”

This hasn’t been done on a collective level since the days of early Hip-Hop where many would battle on songs just to get their name out such as Notorious B.I.G, Jay Z, 50 Cent, KRS One, Rakim, and the list goes on and on. In a summer where Jay Z, Kanye West, Wale, and J. Cole have stood out among the rest with each releasing respectable and some would even call legendary albums, Kendrick Lamar’s moment in Hip-Hop this summer could be the moment of the year

What do you guys think? Do you think Kendrick Lamar did a good thing for Hip-Hop, or do you think it was uncalled for? Send your responses to generalinfo@lasentinel.net